UK soldiers hurt in Basra blasts

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British soldiers in Iraq were injured when their convoy was attacked during a routine patrol in Basra, the Ministry of Defence has said.

One of the soldiers is believed to have been seriously injured, while three others are thought to have suffered minor injuries.

"We had two explosions reported. Our guys extracted themselves from the area," said a spokesman.

He said the MoD would not be releasing any further details of the injuries.

"It was a convoy of British troops who were transiting through the outskirts of Basra last night on a routine mission," the spokesman said.

"They weren't working in the city themselves. They were on the way to a different area of the province," he added.

A Basra police spokesman said the incident happened on Wednesday night and was followed by a clash between troops and unidentified gunmen.

Britain handed control of the city back to the Iraqi government in December but there are still British troops in the area.